Carlos 'Indio' Solari, cult hero of Argentine rock, dies aged 77

Carlos 'Indio' Solari, one of Argentina's most influential and enigmatic musicians, has died at the age of 77.

The singer and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the legendary rock band Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, had been living with Parkinson's disease since at least 2016.

Local media reported that he died in the early hours of Friday morning at his home in Parque Leloir, around 30 kilometres west of Buenos Aires. According to a police report, Solari suffered from Parkinson's disease and "nothing indicates or suggests any other cause of death."

Widely regarded as one of the defining figures of Argentine rock, Solari built a career that transcended generations and helped shape the country's musical and cultural landscape. His death marks the end of a chapter in domestic popular culture that stretched from the final years of military rule to the present day.

Born Carlos Alberto Solari, he emerged as a central figure in Argentina's rock scene in the late 1970s alongside Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, popularly known as Los Redondos. The band developed a fiercely loyal following while largely eschewing mainstream media and the traditional music industry, an approach that became a hallmark of its identity.

Under Solari's leadership, Los Redondos released ten albums between the late 1970s and their split in 2001. Records including Gulp!, Lobo suelto, cordero atado, Oktubre and Un baión para el ojo idiota helped establish the group as one of the most influential acts in Argentine rock history.

His lyrics, filled with metaphor, social commentary and enigmatic characters, became the subject of endless interpretation among fans. Combined with the band's independent ethos and famed live performances, Solari helped create a cultural phenomenon that extended far beyond music.

Following the break-up of Los Redondos, Solari launched a successful solo career with Indio Solari y los Fundamentalistas del Aire Acondicionado. Between 2004 and 2018, the group released five studio albums and continued to attract large audiences.

His concerts often became mass gatherings that drew fans from every corner of Argentina, often described as pilgrimages because of the distances travelled and the devotion of those attending. Few artists in the country's history matched his ability to mobilise such large crowds.

In 2016, a show in Tandil drew around 250,000 people. A year later, his concert in Olavarría drew between 300,000 and 400,000 attendees.

Although Parkinson's disease gradually forced him away from the stage in his later years, Solari remained a towering presence. His music continued to resonate with generations of listeners, while his influence could be heard across the country's rock scene.

Only two weeks ago, Solari was awarded an honoris causa doctorate by the University of Buenos Aires. During the ceremony, UBA vice-chancellor Ricardo Gelpi, described the performer as "an artist who turned originality into an ethic, built one of the most intense bonds between a musician and their community ever recorded in the country's cultural history, and proved that the greatest possible ambition is neither fame nor money, but the justification of an entire life through work."

Solari was in a relationship with his partner Virginia Castro, popularly known as "La Negra Poly", whom he met during the summer of 1981. They married seven years later and had their only son, Bruno, in 2000.

– TIMES/AFP

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